Teenage Depression in India Is Way More Severe Than We Think

Teenage Depression in India Is Way More Severe Than We Think

Read teenage and read turmoil. This age is a constant battle which your teenage boy or girl wages with self every day. Uncertainty, self-doubts, and anxiety about fitting into the peer group with ease are just some of the thoughts that keep circling inside a teenager’s mind, while he or she maintains a cool façade.

That’s what teenage is all about. There is also a sweet side of this great phase of one’s life with new crushes every day, changes in one’s body and the sweet but constant nagging of parents about how being glued to the x-box or Instagramming all day is not going to fetch good grades.

However, If not watched closely, the small aches, inconspicuous pains, and woes of teenage might turn into teen depression, unnoticed and taking roots deep down inside your teenager. As a parent, you need to watch for those subtle signs which present themselves and are a clear sign of your boy or girl entering the dark alley of depression.

Watch Out for These Signs of Depression in Your Teenager

Depression affects more teenagers than we can imagine. We have had Bollywood celebrities like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra opening up about how they were a victim of depression during their adolescent years. There could be varied reasons for depression in teenagers, but ways of curing it are almost the same. When a teenager is depressed the signs manifest in forms like extreme sadness and melancholy.

In some cases, it even takes the form of aggression or anger where the teenager lashes at out anyone and everyone. It is then that you as a parent should not overlook it as rebellion or dismiss it as hormonal changes and should start finding out the root cause of this behavior. You need to watch out for some of the ways in which teenagers act out their depression. Following are some of the warning signs of depression.

You suddenly start receiving notes and emails from their teachers stating how they have noticed a change in the behavior of the teenager. An extrovert teenager suddenly becomes an introvert and a silent and timid teenager starts showing signs of aggression. There are complaints about a drop in grades and low attendance.

Rebellious behavior like rash driving, picking up fights with people, drug and alcohol abuse and violent behavior are some of the signs that you should pick up on.

Some teenagers go completely off the radar and you will have to pry open their mouths literally with hand to get a single syllable out of it. He or she might even be ready to cry at the drop of a hat in such a phase. They seem to withdraw themselves in a cocoon with its shell so hard that only your strong love and affection can penetrate it.

Teenagers going through depression lose their appetite and fall prey to eating and sleeping disorders as well. They would want to stay in their bed or room for hours and days to come and will start to shun human company.

An extreme form of depression sometimes drives them towards self-injury and even suicide

What You Can Do As A Parent?

Forcing your teenager at such times about his or her problems are only going to make the matters worse. You should handle the whole scenario with extreme care and understanding. You really have to decipher whether the unexplained pains and aches are due to some genuine physical health problem, though depression too has been now classified now as a disease, which is curable.

Role of the parent in alleviating the symptoms and helping the teenagers

Don’t start questioning your teenage girl or boy about what is bugging them. You might make him or her withdraw into a deeper corner and then you will only face a wall which they will create in front of them.

Communicating and not lecturing is how you will get to know the root cause of the problem. The teenager is looking for a friend and not a domineering parent at this time.

Don’t give up on them even if your advances to communicate are shot down. You might even have to face deafening silence or witness violent bursts of emotions. Be persistent and show that you have all the patience to wait for them to come around.

Do not undermine the reason that your teenager has for being depressed. It might seem trivial to you but could mean the world to them.

If you feel that your teenager is not comfortable opening up to you about his problems, there is no harm in taking the help of another family member, a counselor or therapist. Remember it is in no way a question mark on your parenthood.

If your teenager is prescribed some anti-depressant by his therapist, make sure that they take the medication. The medication may take some time to show effects and you need to be by your teenager’s side all this while, showing him or her that you understand and that you care.

I hope you get the idea about how the depression is a way serious problem than we think and how to deal with your teenager’s depression. If you liked this article, then please share it with your friends and family member. You never who might need help. Also please leave your thoughts and views in the comment section below. Thank you.🙂

About the author

Ajay Chavan

Hey guys! I am Ajay Chavan, a small town guy walking down the path to my dream. A hell-bent person who never gives up.
I love to write about stuff that makes a difference in someone's life.
And Hey! I am also the Co-Founder and COO of TeenAtHeart.